Vienna

We headed out on the coaches for Vienna in the morning and, having been able to sit right behind the driver for our tour of Budapest, I decided it would be worth stalking the bus in order to snag those seats again for my roommate and I. Part of it is that I'm much more comfortable if I can see out the front window, and the other part was that we really wanted to be able to see the countryside as we made the trip! It was well worth the effort, since the landscape was lush and rolling, dotted with poppies and vineyards and occasionally, the huge windmill farms.

Before making it into Vienna, we did take a break at a rest stop maybe two hours into the drive. Those Europeans really know how to do a rest stop - it included a variety store for snacks and sodas as well as connecting to a cafeteria-type area where you could pick up fresh sandwiches, soups, salads and so much more. At this point, we were out of Hungary and so our forints were no longer any use to us and we needed to find a way to either spend enough on a credit card or use an ATM to pull out some euros. Fortunately, there wasn't a high minimum for the plastic which was good news since the ATM at that location didn't take any of the Visa-based ATM cards.

We also were introduced to the concept of paid toilets at this rest stop, which I definitely found a little odd. You paid the lady outside the restroom and then you were able to go in. Now, when I think of tipping restroom attendants here, it's usually the folks who handle the nice towels, wipe down the vanity, and manage all the little cologne bottles/mouthwash/etc. The difference in Europe is that you didn't get anything but use of the restroom for your money (in those cases, I'll admit it was money well spent)...although for the most part, the restrooms we clean. One of my friend's had her 14 year old daughter with her, and she was fascinated with all the different toilet types we came across - I think she was documenting with photos, LOL.

After leaving the rest stop we easily cruised the rest of the way into Vienna and actually arrived at a fairly reasonable time - around 3pm. Brandy and I headed immediately to our room to get ourselves organized and then decided that with only a day and a half in this amazing town, we needed to head out to explore as soon as possible. So after ooohhing and ahhhing over our room (white and blue, with a huge window that went all the way to the ceiling) we hit the sidewalks.

It was overcast during the afternoon so our photos weren't spectacular, but we had a ball taking in the sites. Our first priority was to taste the Viennese coffee and pastries we had heard so much about, so we visited Cafe Landtmann - one of the oldest and best known cafes in Vienna. It didn't hurt that it was literally two minutes away from our hotel! The coffee was truly to die for, and I had a strawberry cake the likes of which I can't imagine I would find anywhere else. Whether that is because it truly was a fantastic piece of food or because I was sitting in the sun with my friend enjoying the snack and a cup of coffee in Vienna amidst buildings that have been around forever...it's hard to say. I will absolutely revisit this cafe when I make it back to Vienna!

Out second priority was to take care of the shopping we wanted to do, so as we walked we kept our eyes open for souvenirs for ourselves and our families. I easily found postcards and my shot glass, and after a little more work found a key chain for my brother. We also stumbled upon this cute little shop which featured unique crafts and jewelry - I found a ring out of Italian glass that I immediately feel in love with and which reminds me of Vienna when I wear it now.

We strolled past the city building, the university, the Hapsburg palace and grounds, St. Peter's Church, and the primary shopping area in the center of the circle formed by Ringstrasse (the major road that goes around the middle of the city - all of the buildings mentioned above can be accessed by walking along the Ringstrasse). For fashion and unique boutiques, Vienna was the best place of all the cities we visited.

Finally, we made it to the Stephensplatz and the Stephensdome, which is where we were scheduled to perform the next day. When you can actually use the spires to help guide you to the location, it gives you a hint of exactly how large the structure really is...and then when you walk into the open area around the cathedral, it really takes your breath away. By this time, I was practically bouncing out of my flip-flops with excitement, because next to the performance hall in Budapest the idea of performing in such a sacred space with so much history was almost too much to get my mind around. They actually had a banner on the Cathedral advertising our concert, so of course Brandy and I had to take photos of that!

The inside of the church was cavernous - it just went on forever. After taking a quick look, we headed back out in the rain which had just started, continued shopping and wandering and finally made it back to the hotel to meet the rest of our group for dinner.

Dinner was an event all by itself - we ate at a little place just up from the hotel recommended by the folks at the front desk and truly splurged on an elegant meal. Regional wine, pork chops, potatoes and veggies, bread and the best chocolate mousse ever! We were there at least three hours, taking our time and enjoying all of the different flavors. That's something that we were very aware of in all of the cities we visited - mealtime was very relaxed, and we could never get the check when we asked for it so usually meals were even longer than we intended them to be. Usually, that wasn't a problem but on the rare occasion that we needed to grab something and then get to rehearsal it was nearly impossible to do!

We headed back to get some shuteye after dinner so that we'd be ready to go on the guided tour the next day along with rehearsal and performance.

More to follow...will update with the rest of Vienna soon!